Skeletalanchorage
shorter treatment
no more headgears
predictable results
avoids surgery
avoids tooth extractions
avoids surgery
avoids tooth extractions
Who can benefit
Orthodontic Problem
Below you can find examples of orthodontic problems that can be resolved with TADs which could not be resolved with braces alone or in which adding TADs to your braces offers a distinct advantage because it
Open bite
An open bite is a situation in which the front teeth do not overlap. This should be corrected as it is a functional problem. Biting off food is impaired. A patient with this type of problem can for example not hold a leaf of lettuce between his front teeth. Traditional treatment approaches for more severe open bites are
Below you can find examples of orthodontic problems that can be resolved with TADs which could not be resolved with braces alone or in which adding TADs to your braces offers a distinct advantage because it
- shortens treatment time
- improves the result
- makes achieving the result more predictable
- avoids more severe treatment such as removing teeth or corrective jaw surgery
Open bite
An open bite is a situation in which the front teeth do not overlap. This should be corrected as it is a functional problem. Biting off food is impaired. A patient with this type of problem can for example not hold a leaf of lettuce between his front teeth. Traditional treatment approaches for more severe open bites are
- extraction of 4 teeth
- jaw correction surgery
Closed bite (deep bite)
A closed bite or deep bite is the exact opposite of the open bite. Here, upper and lower front teeth overlap excessively, often times to the point where the lower front teeth are completely hidden by the upper front teeth. Sometimes patients with this problem also bite into their gums. Next to the discomfort of such a bite, treatment is important because this bite can lead to wear of front teeth and can prevent the correction of other orthodontic problems such as an overbite. TADs can help to correct this problem quicker and more predictably.
Overbite
An overbite is a situation in which the front teeth appear to stick out too far because they are too far forward. If patients still have a lot of growth left, different treatment options exist. If not much or no growth is left, this is usually treated by removing 2 upper teeth or by jaw surgery. TADs can help in many different ways:
-if teeth are removed the spaces can be closed quicker leading to a shorter treatment time
-removal of any teeth can be avoided by moving the upper teeth back to where they belong
Underbite
An underbite is a situation in which the lower front teeth are in front of the upper front teeth. Obviously that is the exact opposite of a healthy bite in which the upper front teeth should be slightly ahead of the lower front teeth. This problem can either be do to the lower jaw being too big, the upper jaw being too small, or a combination of the two. Milder cases can be resolved with simple measures such as rubber band wear. Removal of teeth is often times recommended for medium severity, and surgery for the most severe cases. TADs can usually prevent the removal of teeth in medium severity cases and in some instances can even prevent the surgical correction. Keep in mind though that the appearance of the face will not change much without surgical correction.
Severely decayed teeth/missing teeth
If teeth are severely decayed and in dire need of restorative treatment (root canals, fillings, crowns) an option is to remove that tooth and use braces with a TAD to close the space. This can work especially nicely if there is a wisdom tooth present that can erupt and allow you to finish with a full set of teeth. This can save you aggravation, money, and follow-up dental work years down the road.
Sometimes teeth are missing, either because they were removed a long time ago or because the body never grew them. Either way, these spaces can be closed with braces and a TAD to avoid a dental implant placement or a bridge, again saving the patient money and aggravation. This case to the left shows both a very decayed molar and a missing tooth.
Elongated teeth
Teeth have a tendency to erupt until they hit a resistance. That is why all your teeth touch. However, if you are missing a tooth the opposing tooth will have a tendency to grow into that space until it hits a resistance. You can see how in the example on the left side the last molar has been missing the opposing tooth for a long time and grew into the space until it touched the gums of the lower jaw. Obviously that requires correction because your dentist will not be able to replace the missing tooth since there is no room for it. In addition this may really interfere with your bite by "locking-in" your bite.
- jaw correction surgery
Closed bite (deep bite)
A closed bite or deep bite is the exact opposite of the open bite. Here, upper and lower front teeth overlap excessively, often times to the point where the lower front teeth are completely hidden by the upper front teeth. Sometimes patients with this problem also bite into their gums. Next to the discomfort of such a bite, treatment is important because this bite can lead to wear of front teeth and can prevent the correction of other orthodontic problems such as an overbite. TADs can help to correct this problem quicker and more predictably.Overbite
An overbite is a situation in which the front teeth appear to stick out too far because they are too far forward. If patients still have a lot of growth left, different treatment options exist. If not much or no growth is left, this is usually treated by removing 2 upper teeth or by jaw surgery. TADs can help in many different ways:-if teeth are removed the spaces can be closed quicker leading to a shorter treatment time
-removal of any teeth can be avoided by moving the upper teeth back to where they belong
Underbite
An underbite is a situation in which the lower front teeth are in front of the upper front teeth. Obviously that is the exact opposite of a healthy bite in which the upper front teeth should be slightly ahead of the lower front teeth. This problem can either be do to the lower jaw being too big, the upper jaw being too small, or a combination of the two. Milder cases can be resolved with simple measures such as rubber band wear. Removal of teeth is often times recommended for medium severity, and surgery for the most severe cases. TADs can usually prevent the removal of teeth in medium severity cases and in some instances can even prevent the surgical correction. Keep in mind though that the appearance of the face will not change much without surgical correction. Severely decayed teeth/missing teeth
If teeth are severely decayed and in dire need of restorative treatment (root canals, fillings, crowns) an option is to remove that tooth and use braces with a TAD to close the space. This can work especially nicely if there is a wisdom tooth present that can erupt and allow you to finish with a full set of teeth. This can save you aggravation, money, and follow-up dental work years down the road.Sometimes teeth are missing, either because they were removed a long time ago or because the body never grew them. Either way, these spaces can be closed with braces and a TAD to avoid a dental implant placement or a bridge, again saving the patient money and aggravation. This case to the left shows both a very decayed molar and a missing tooth.
Elongated teeth
Teeth have a tendency to erupt until they hit a resistance. That is why all your teeth touch. However, if you are missing a tooth the opposing tooth will have a tendency to grow into that space until it hits a resistance. You can see how in the example on the left side the last molar has been missing the opposing tooth for a long time and grew into the space until it touched the gums of the lower jaw. Obviously that requires correction because your dentist will not be able to replace the missing tooth since there is no room for it. In addition this may really interfere with your bite by "locking-in" your bite.